Legion of Warriors Into the Unknown Sea
by FlowerofAdversity
Summary: A collection of stories replacing the original ones of Season 3, which was very disappointing. Also more JimSue moments. R&R if you will.


Legion of Warriors Into the Unknown Sea

Note: A Code Lyoko fan-fiction. Surrounding the events that occurred in Season 3, depicted as myself and BrightStarAngie see fit. Season 3 was extremely disappointing, save for a few "Simbo" (Susanne and Jimbo) moments.

"This is so far out of my league."—Larry White, The Last Mimzy

"If my words have that effect, I'll just keep talkin' man !"—Kamiyama Hiyashida, Cromartie High School

Chapter 1—The Princess Returns

During the last visit to Lyoko and delving into Franz Hopper's diary, Jeramie thought he had figured everything on Lyoko out, but he was far from knowing everything he needed to know. One night while coming home from school, it had begun storming violently and he had forgotten his umbrella. He had a bit of trouble running back to his dormitory but made it back without any trouble. While he was using his computer and chatting with his friends from all around the globe, there was a blast of lightning and it slightly electrocuted him.

Momentarily, Jeramie had been unconscious but by the time he woke up, he noticed his computer was still on. Before he went to bed there was a still, small voice from _inside_ the computer. Jeramie swore he was losing his mind. But right in front of him was the visage of a beautiful pink-haired girl with the cutest elfin ears.

"Jeramie, I heard a loud bang. Are you alright ?", she said, worried about his well-being after seeing him faint.

"Who are you ?", Jeramie questioned, not remembering who she was. He had already given her the new name of Maya, without her answering his question immediately.

"Never mind that. It seems you're ok. Thank goodness.", 'Maya' said, with a sweet grin. She began to go on about Lyoko and how XANA had trapped her there. Jeramie had fallen in love, all over again, if that was possible.

"I'd love to learn more, Maya, but I have to go to sleep.", Jeramie said, yawning.

"Actually my name is Aelita.", Aelita reminded him, tenderly, hoping that might jog his memory a little bit. He had remembered her name, because she could see his eyes light up at the very mention of it. But nothing else made sense to him. The electric shock must've fried some receptors in his brain that had stored those memories of the past. At least he had Franz's book. She could see it on his desk. She would implement that later. But for now, it was great just to be talking to Jeramie since she had been taken back into Lyoko against her own will. She longed to be virtualized again, and she knew somehow that day was coming. For now, she would have to be patient with her blonde-haired Knight.

The next day, Jeramie couldn't get Aelita out of his head. His friends had noticed something different about him.

"Why is he so starry-eyed ? What's his deal ?", Sissi questioned.

"He's in love, dear.", Yumi answered, with a huge smile.

"Oh ? I wonder with whom ?", Odd asked aloud, jabbing his soon-to-be girlfriend in the ribs playfully with his elbow. Jeramie was indeed in love with the virtual girl.

"Hey Jeramie !", Odd said, throwing an arm around his friend.

"Hey, Odd. Have you been waiting long ?", Jeramie asked.

"No, but we're kind of curious about that sparkle in your eyes.", Odd said, poking him in the ribs with a slender finger. Jeramie chuckled, since he was particularly sensitive in the sides.

He didn't to say he had fallen in love with a girl from a virtual world or surely they would either mock him or ask him to seek counseling.

"I'm in love with a girl online.", he said, and to be honest, what he had said was in some sense, true.

"Be careful about relationships like that, Jeramie. You never know. That 'girl' you're talking to might not be a girl at all.", Ulrich added.

"Yeah, I had that happen to me once. There are some sick puppies out there.", Herve said, shuddering at remembering what his 'date' looked like once he became interested. But that was in the past, thankfully.

"Oh, she's a she. Definitely. I've seen pictures. She's a bit of a punker, but she's as sweet as sugar.", Jeramie said. He was sure his answers were winning them over.

"She sounds really neat.", Naomi piped up, grinning. They all wanted to meet her soon.

"Guys, I just remembered I wanted to tell you something, but not here.", Nicholas said.

They were all curious about what Nick had to say, so they followed him.

Nicholas led them all to an abandoned factory. It seemed they had forgotten about it since their last trip there, but it was still in one piece since Kadic's renovation. Jeramie's memory was slowly coming back.

"Wait a minute…I remember this place. This is where the supercomputer is right ?", he said, becoming excited.

"Yes, yes. It is. But please be a bit quieter. We don't want anyone else hearing this.

It's our _secret_.", Nicholas said. Jeramie nodded quietly. He had comprehended Nicholas' words of caution. They all went inside and started up the computer. Just as before, Aelita appeared on the screen.

"XANA's attacking !", she said, hurriedly. She didn't have a lot of time to explain.

"So, _that_'s the girl who has been asking us to help her. I hadn't seen her until now…", Ulrich said, becoming interested.

"Hey, she's pretty cute. OW !", Odd said, while getting nudged rather sharply in the stomach by Sissi. She was just beginning to like Odd and now he had to turn out to be a lady's man. This was only becoming more interesting.

Jeramie now remembered what he was supposed to do. He entered all the sequences as he had before, and sent all of the Warriors into Lyoko. Lyoko. Everything from the past was becoming crystal clear to him. It all made perfect sense, though some of it was still an enigma he was clamoring to find a solution to. And one day he would, in due time.

When the Warriors landed, they found themselves in the Forest Sector. Aelita met them and began dodging fire from some Bloks and Krankalats. There weren't very many monsters at first glance, but as soon as XANA had sensed their presence, he had sent out more to meet the Warriors head on. Aelita knew she had to find a safe haven because they were clearly outnumbered. Those Warriors with projectile weapons kept the monsters occupied while the others followed Aelita.

"Don't worry, we've got you covered !", Sissi called back, firing at another Blok, destroying it. Odd, Sissi and Yumi were holding back the new wave of monsters, and they had found an opening and followed Aelita and the rest of the gang.

"We don't have much time, come quickly before the signal fades.", Aelita said, pulling her friends one by one into the safe tower. She was right. Certain havens only remained that way until XANA found a method to overwhelm Aelita's spell of protection. Her light magic was far more powerful than XANA's necromancy, but when she was fighting like she had been, her spell had been weakened, so she and the others only had a short amount of time until the tower was overtaken.

"De-Virtulization process beginning NOW !", Jeramie said, transporting them back to the Scanners.

"Home in time for dinner, right ?", Odd added, his huge smile could even be heard over Jeramie's microphone.

"Don't you ever think about anything else but food, Odd ?", Sissi added as they were returned home.

Jeramie was a bit shocked to see Aelita in person.

"Hey there, Jeramie !", she said, waving coquettishly. Jeramie was at a loss for words, and even walked out with his friends and they all went their different ways, but not before Aelita kissed him on the cheek.

"I'll see you tomorrow.", Aelita said as she left with the other girls. More than likely, they would be introducing her as a new student, if the others would believe them. They probably wouldn't know any better, since she looked like any other human girl, save her cotton-candy colored hair.

Jeramie sat down to an enjoyable meal of roast chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, fruit salad and milk. It was a dinner suitable for royalty, and he savored every moment he had with his family. He was starting to remember everything now, and thanked the heavens silently that he had been so lucky. Someday he too, hoped to travel there himself, but that would have to wait until later. At least now, he had come to the realization that he was part of something larger than himself. How gargantuan it was he would discover soon.

Chapter 2—New Students, New Sensations

It was a new day, and Aelita Hopper was being introduced to her new classmates. Her friends already knew who she was but the other students were awe-struck. She was something otherworldly, mystical, and ethereal. Some of the boys in the classroom were finding themselves entranced with her, but she had eyes for only one boy, being Jeramie. She had gotten into Kadic so easily, it seemed. But Jeramie was relieved that she could be in the real world again and away from XANA's influence.

Aelita had nearly forgotten what a pleasure it was to be in class and learn different subjects once more. It was utter joy to be in the presence of the recently engaged Susanne Hertz, who had suddenly become even more jovial since this happened. Aelita still didn't understand many things about the real world, and was also inquisitive about how it worked.

She knew she could always ask her friends any question she wanted to, but then there would be the questions even they couldn't answer, so she would often find herself in the library to satisfy her insatiable hunger for knowledge.

After tiring herself out somewhat from delving into books for answers to questions about human-kind and Earth, she started to walk to her dormitory, which had just been selected for her. She didn't know if she would be having a roommate, but even if she did, she'd welcome her with open arms.

Suddenly, she smelled a fresh, inviting fragrance in the wind. She remembered from her own world, they had a similar happening called "cloud congregation" and then "dancing water". Here it was called rain, and depending on how frequently it fell it was given different terms. The smell here on earth from the coming rain was similar to that on Lyoko. It was a fragrance she wished she could bottle and share with everyone because it was so pleasant and unique. There wasn't anything phony or pretentious about the rain, it was mother nature nourishing herself. That's all there was to it.

As the rain fell, she began to dance and twirl in it, experiencing the slight chill it gave her. It was exhilarating, enjoyable and fun. But she had to get inside before getting potentially soaked. She walked inside of her room and another girl, who looked much like she did, was chatting on the computer and didn't notice Aelita had come in.

"Excuse me ?", Aelita said, gently, trying to get the girl's attention.

"Yes ?", Taelia questioned.

"I don't mean to be rude, but it's rather late and I would like to be going to sleep, Taelia.", Aelita said, reading the magenta-haired girl's name-tag.

"Oh…I didn't know you had a curfew here. I am still adjusting to the culture shock. It's different here than it is in Russia.", Taelia said, signing off with all of her friends and turning off the computer. Aelita was fascinated. She wanted to learn more about Russia but that would have to wait for another time.

"I hope you tell me more about your homeland. I would so love to hear your stories, Taelia.", Aelita said, snuggling under her covers to sleep.

"I would be honored to, Aelita. Goodnight.", Taelia said, clapping her hands to turn off the lights.

The next day was a weekend, and most of the students were playing after they had their homework finished. Aelita was minding her own business listening to the birds sing merrily until Sissi grabbed her hand and beckoned her to follow her.

"Where are we going ?", Aelita asked.

"We're going to my room. I have some makeup I want you to try on…It would look smashing on you !", she said, eagerly.

Aelita was caught up in the whirlwind named Sissi and wondering why she wanted to try some makeup on her. Aelita had never worn makeup so she didn't know what it felt like.

"This is my dorm, make yourself at home.", Sissi said, getting out a kit that looked akin to a man's carry-around tool kit, only feminine in persuasion. Kumquat, Sissi's little Bull Terrier, didn't seem very interested. She was sleeping in her bed as she usually did, not bothered by the activity occurring in the room.

"Is this the first time you've ever worn makeup ?", Sissi asked, inquisitively.

"Yes. What is the purpose of it anyway ? I can understand women wanting to adorn themselves with jewelry, but does makeup have the same application ?", Aelita said. Sissi laughed momentarily and continued to highlight the Princess' face delicately.

"Absolutely. It's meant to make us look even more beautiful, for a special occasion. You see, I'm planning on setting you and Jeramie up on a date. I have plenty of dresses you can choose for the evening. He has _no clue_ how gorgeous you're going to look, boy oh boy !

He is going to be surprised !", Sissi said until she was finished. She whipped out a mirror and Aelita was astonished. Her violet eyes stood out even more than before thanks to the eye shadow, her cheeks were accented by the rose blush and her ruby lips shone in the light.

"You're just about ready…Gosh…You are stunning.", Sissi said, almost as if she had been looking upon a living _Pygmalion_. Aelita blushed gently and giggled.

As soon as Jeramie was brought to Sissi's dorm by Odd, Kiwi noticed Kumquat for the first time, but she simply walked in the opposite direction, making the human equivalent of a "harrumph" before sticking her nose in the air and sauntering off. Kiwi was heartbroken, and went to a corner, curled up and whined silently as he went to sleep. Jeramie's mouth nearly dropped as he saw Aelita looking even more like a Princess than before.

"I feel like this is the prom !", he said, grinning from ear to ear.

"We've arranged your escort. A limousine is waiting for you out front.", Sissi said, looking dreamily at Odd momentarily.

"You didn't have to go to all this trouble.", Jeramie said.

"After saving our bacon numerous times, you _deserve_ it. Trust me !", Odd said, patting him heartily on the back. With that the two were lead outside and found the limousine. Elisabeth's butler, Lionel got out and let Aelita and Jeramie inside of the car. As soon as Lionel got back in, he sped away and took them to one of the ritziest restaurants in the area, _Le Chateau Bleu_.

While others were enjoying their evenings playing games, reading books, fishing, sailing or flying kites, Aelita and Jeramie had returned from an extravagant dinner at _Le Chateau Bleu_. The two were more than happy to have enjoyed such a lavish supper and thanked Odd and Sissi for their present.

"One of these days, maybe before we graduate, we could _all_ go and celebrate. Hand to the heavens, that is some of the BEST food I have ever eaten.", Jeramie said. Aelita, who was getting accustomed to Terran cuisine, could concur with him. Matters were becoming more and more interesting. Aelita was hoping to experience more of Terran culture in time, and she indefiniately would. More and more, the world beyond Lyoko had entranced her, and she wanted to know as much as she possibly could.

Chapter 3—The Shining Moon, the Twinkling Stars

As the students slept, some strange activity was coming from the abandoned factory. The supercomputer had engaged itself _on its own_ and a heartbeat started to emanate deep within the abyss of the Wired.

XANA hadn't shown himself recently, though he had the power to send out monster attacks. He didn't have the ability to take upon a human form as he had in the past. Yet, now at this point, he had gathered enough power to assume a human form. He wouldn't have the will to transport himself to Earth as of yet, but at least he could move around more freely and gain more control over the areas of Lyoko that were yet untouched. The Wired would soon be his playground in all due time, but for the time being, he would remain where he was until the time was right and he had more power to wield.

Sissi heard the eerie lub-dub of a heartbeat that sounded unearthly coming from someplace close. She tossed about fitfully in her sleep until she awakened. She ran down the hallway until she butted into Jim.

"Woah, missy ! Where's the fire ?", he said, wondering what she was doing up so late and what she was running away from in such a hurry.

"I'm afraid XANA has awakened.", she said, then covered her mouth. She had realized she had possibly said too much. Being in her sleep deprived state made her think irrationally without considering the consequences.

"What do you mean ? I am sure there's no one out to get you dear. Go back to sleep. I'm sure it was just a nightmare.", Jim said, calmly patting her on the head.

"I can prove it to you. Come on, Jim !", she said, tugging him along by the arm. For a little girl, she was stronger than she looked.

Sissi took Jim to the abandoned factory, but they didn't know they were being followed by Jeramie and the rest of the gang, minus Odd. The gang wasn't able to stop Sissi at the entrance but they met her at the halfway point so to speak. She was already in the room where the supercomputer was, and they had come in using the elevator instead of the sewer to get there.

"I can't believe you ! Why would you blab our secret to _Jim_ of all people, Sissi ?", Yumi asked, becoming irate.

"You have no right in telling him about the factory, you traitor !", Ulrich said.

All of their words stung Sissi to the core, but just then Odd burst through the doors.

"Stop ! Sissi is our friend. She meant no harm in telling Jim about 'our place'. She was probably just worried about XANA reawakening. You never know…it could've happened !", Odd said, siding with Sissi. The others thought about what Odd had said, and it was true. XANA more than likely had been becoming more powerful since they had fought him last. The last monster attack was his message to them that he hadn't been destroyed as they had initially thought.

"I'm not sure what's going on, but all of you should be back in bed…You really need your rest.", Jim reproved, as he led all the students out of the factory with some guidance. Indeed, he wasn't certain about what was happening, but his curiosity was sparked. He couldn't stop thinking of Lyoko, even when he went back to sleep.

The next morning, the children awoke rather well-rested and refreshed from the mess that was the previous evening. Sissi was feeding Kumquat in her room, Jeremie was chatting with his Internet friends from around the world, and Odd was playing fetch with Kiwi while Ulrich read a comic book. Yumi was in her dorm room doing the same. Suddenly, unbeknownst to the children, several fuses and sockets began to blow out. XANA's digital impulses, or "spectres", began to pour out of each fuse and socket.

Some of the younger children had been scared when the lights had gone out but matters only became scarier when the specters began possessing different objects and began going berserk. The printers were sparking, sputtering and spewing out papers, faxes were coughing up random faxes, computers turned on and off eerily and Jean-Pierre had had enough of it. Once he had thrown the master switch all the activity came to a stop, but that wasn't the end of it. The auxiliary lights had been left on, though they were dim. The younger children were less frightened now that the electronic items were no longer attacking and the chaos had stopped.

That was, until the specters became aware that they could possess people. One by one, the teachers became zombies, under XANA's control. The Warriors knew they were in trouble, but weren't certain what to do considering this new set of circumstances.

Aelita's forehead began to glimmer, but luckily no one else had seen this since they were running away in the opposite direction from the XANA possessed zombies. Suddenly, the Warriors were bestowed with powers that they normally had on Lyoko. They didn't question as to why or how, but turned around to fight the zombies. It was up to them now to stop them before anyone was hurt. They didn't want to fight their own superiors, but they could do so without using weapons.

"We just need to get them out in the sun…It's that easy.", Odd said, running outside as the zombies kept up with them.

"Like all creatures of darkness, they can't stand the light.", Taelia added. Odd had gotten his information from B movies, while Taelia's knowledge was from folklore and myth, but who would've known that both sources were correct !

One by one the zombies were lead into the sun. Jim had not been affected by the attack since he was outside but had sensed that Susanne was in danger. He didn't know she had been possessed by one of XANA's specters, but he wished to help the Warriors fight against XANA this time. He had found the sewer entrance to the old abandoned factory long before the other Warriors had done so, but they were surprised to see him there. Ulrich and Yumi especially wanted him to explain himself. The only reason they didn't trust him was because they thought it was _their_ duty as Warriors to protect Lyoko and Earth and not allow anyone else to do so. It wasn't a job for someone Jim's age to become involved in. But what they didn't realize was; they needed guidance. They were just reluctant to admit it.

"Guys, Susanne is in trouble. I didn't know where else to go to. I had seen my friends become possessed, and I can only assume she was among them. I'm thinking this XANA character has something to do with it. I want to help you fight him !", Jim said, extremely worried about his fiancée.

"I trust you, Jim. I'll be here watching you from the outside. Come on, everyone ! We don't have time to lose.", Jeramie said, with a voice of authority. Everyone knew he was right. Jim followed the others and waited to be virtualized for the first time. It was an unusual but exhilarating sensation being transformed. It made his skin tingle a little, and he chuckled on the way before finding himself in his metamorphosed state.

"Unbelievable !", he thought, looking at the gauntlets on his arms. He nearly resembled a ronin of feudal times, but with a few modifications in his outfit. He had a weapon that he knew would come in handy. He would learn as he went along, and fortunately, he was a quick learner.

All the while on Earth the zombies were unable to move for the time being in the sun and the children had found a safe place to hide. But one zombie had avoided the sunlight and broken free. On its own accord it had been lead to the elevator entrance of the factory and came slinking in at a moderate pace. While Jeramie was directing the group through the Tundra Sector, all the while, the rouge zombie came closer and closer to the main control room.

They had been fighting monsters consistently and Jim had been holding his own when considering slaying the mechanical creatures XANA had sent out. The kids should've never underestimated him, since he was quite strong. While he held off the creatures, the rest of the Warriors ran into the cleared tower.

Jeramie, who was wrestling with the rouge zombie back on Earth, found himself awfully close to being bitten. He hit the enter key with his free elbow, still tussling with the zombie, finding two sharp canines dangerously close to his jugular vein. The others didn't know what was going on but could hear the sound of a struggle.

"Jeramie, are you alright ?", Ulrich questioned.

"Yeah, sounds like you're having a rough time !", Samantha added, just as concerned.

"No time to explain ! Return to the past NOW !", Jeramie yelled only minutes before the zombie had a chance to bite him. A blinding light overshadowed the factory and the grounds of Kadic and all seemed to be well. At least momentarily.

The heartbeat from the supercomputer was louder and stronger than it had been before, but no one really heard it. All the students were sleeping peacefully, lost in their dreams while XANA, having been able to recover himself fully, had been able to create a crystal ball and watch happenings on Earth. Looking about he watched the students sleep and was intrigued, especially when he saw Elisabeth Delmas resting in her bed so peacefully. Upon seeing her for the first time through new eyes, his heart was ignited. He knew he wanted to make this young girl his queen. He was strong enough to do so, but he would wait until the time was right to deliver her to her rightful place. For now, he too believed he would sleep and dream about her; his one and only Princess.

Chapter 4—Jumping the Broom (1)

Springtime was in full swing and Jim seemed even more jocund than usual. There had been rumors around Kadic about him getting married soon to Ms. Hertz. Luckily the weather would be agreeable enough for them to enjoy an outdoor wedding. The wind would be cool but not too brisk; perfect weather for any number of activities.

"So, you and Ms. Hertz are getting married over the weekend ?", Jean-Pierre asked his old-time friend, Jim.

"Yeah ! Everyone's invited if they wish to come. It's a formal event, but no worries, it isn't going to be stuffy and boring. Susanne hired a magnificent DJ. You'd be amazed at the type of music she enjoys listening and dancing to. Oh, how she can dance !", Jim said. Then, he suddenly realized he was prattling.

"Congratulations, Jim. I wish you two all the health and happiness in the world.", Jean-Pierre said. He had thanked him after congratulating him for the upward trend in student's grades and was pleased with the addition of a self-defense class for students. It was a boon to the troubled students that came from broken homes. This way, they would avoid such temptations as illegal drugs, the wrong crowd and other illicit activities.

The weekend came quickly, and Jim found himself humming happily and preparing for his upcoming wedding. He was eager to see how Susanne would look in her bridal gown. He had no idea how gorgeous she was going to look once she came down the aisle.

As Mendelssohn's wedding march began to play, the congregation stood and was awed at the beautiful young bride who came in. Jim almost didn't recognize his beautiful wife-to-be. Her face was beatific, and her gown was ethereal. His eyes began to well with tears seeing her as the princess he always knew she was.

As Susanne slinked down the aisle, her dress swooshed and swished with each movement. It was a pleasing sound, and the closer she came, the bigger Jim's smile became.

She reached out a silken pearlescent glove to Jim and he took her hand tenderly.

"You're so ravishing, please don't tell me you're going back to heaven !", he said, chuckling lightly. She blushed darkly, averting her hazel eyes a bit. She had seen Jim in different attire before, but the last time she had seen Jim in a tux was during the spring dance. She had nearly forgotten how dapper he was.

The reverend stood at the podium and she used a white ribbon to "bind" their hands. This was an old tradition dating to the Celts signifying the two were now one, bound together in matrimony, and nothing could break that bond. After they had said their vows, the two kissed passionately and gazed deeply into each others eyes until Pachabelli's Canon played and they practically ran down the aisle to be sped away to the reception hall by limousine.

The reception party was exceptional. All the students and faculty at Kadic had come, looking their best and having a blast. There were sweet treats abounding and plenty of food.

No one was going to be returning home hungry.

When the bouquet was tossed, all the ladies scrambled to grab it, but Aelita had been the fortunate recipient. She didn't know what to think at first, but accepted it with a polite bow and a bit of a flush to her cheeks. The other ladies thought it was too cute and giggled at her response. Then came the garter throw. As with the single ladies, the men lined up and were even more competitive to dive and tussle for it when it went hither, thither and yon until it landed atop Jeramie's head.

"Ah, hahahah ! That's a great look for you !", Odd chortled, unable to remain serious.

"Very innovative catch though…I wish I thought of it !", Herve said, with a bit of a grin upon his usually stoic face. The two recipients of the bouquet and garter stood together to have their photos taken, thinking simultaneously:

"One day it'll be the two of us who are man and wife…But let's just enjoy our time partaking in this fantastic world one day at a time."

There then came a time after all the dancing when the new couple had to make a small speech. Susanne was more comfortable with speaking in front of people so she spoke for Jim.

"Of all these years at Kadic, I found a best friend and a romantic partner in James. He's the best thing that has ever happened to me. I can foresee many happy years with him in the future and find myself loving him more every moment. He's my guiding star and my closest ally.", Susanne said, pecking him on the cheek. Jim blushed, and then took the microphone spontaneously.

"I'm the luckiest man alive !", he added, and everyone cheered. His parents spoke, and then Susanne's parents spoke. There were compliments all around. No one had a cross word or ill look to cast upon the newlyweds.

Though it had been a seemingly run-of-the-mill day and Susanne and Jim had snuggled closely together after making love together, but Jim couldn't sleep for some strange reason. He had continued hearing something that was otherworldly. Not wanting to wake his newlywed wife from her slumber, he went outside to see where the noise was coming from.

From the woods, he could see ghostly figures around a fire, probably partaking in a ritual of long ago. He didn't feel threatened by it though, seeing that it wasn't XANA produced. Thinking others would want proof of this spooky activity, he snapped a few photos and returned to bed with an expression of wonder. Though the encounter with the supernatural had been somewhat chilling, it was extraordinary. He knew Susanne would appreciate him photographing those souls, whoever they were. At least they knew now that this life wasn't the last juncture and that there were more mysteries in the world to solve.

Chapter 5—The Weeks After The Wedding

Jim and Susanne's wedding had been blessed although the two had been busy with work. The children wanted to celebrate for them, since they knew they hadn't been able to have time to go on a honeymoon as of yet. Jean-Pierre hadn't mentioned anything about the party per se, since it was a surprise and the students had developed the idea on their own. It would take a lot of planning as well as keeping Susanne and Jim in the dark about the whole development. The first part of the initial plan would be challenging, but the second part was far easier. Jim and Susanne would be preoccupied with their classes all day and would be going home to expand it for a coming new addition. Susanne wasn't showing if she was pregnant, but according to the doctors, she was expecting a little one. Both of the parents-to-be were extremely eager to prepare for the baby, not to mention bring him or her into the world.

By evening, the gymnasium had been decorated and adorned with streamers, balloons and confetti. There was a mirror ball hanging from the ceiling and a bubble machine that had been brought in for fun, just to add more "mood" to the frivolity of the party. The DJs were specially selected by the Principal himself. Snacks were provided by students by the best bakers in the student body, as well as fruit punch. It was a healthy drink next to all the sodas that were available if students happened to be diabetic.

While the last touches were being put into the celebration, Nicholas and his friends had gone to fetch Susanne and Jim, who were putting in a crib in their new room, which had been painted in superb soft pastel colors.

"There's something you two need to see.", Naomi said, her voice resounding like sounding bells.

The newlywed couple looked at each other in interest marveling in their minds as to what was happening. Without saying much more, the friends took them to the auditorium and asked them to keep their eyes closed before arriving. They kept a tight grip on their hands so they wouldn't fall while being impeded in such a way.

"Alright, now open your eyes !", William stated, his voice full of excitement.

"SURPRISE !", the children exclaimed exuberantly.

Susanne and Jim were awe-struck by everything they saw. The party itself was a "getaway" and baby shower all wrapped into one. They didn't expect presents to be waiting for them but there had been a table overloaded with them.

"You didn't have to go to all this trouble, kids.", Jim said, becoming a little choked up.

"It was our idea, Jim. Besides, you and Susanne are going to be parents soon.", William said, matter-of-factly.

"Thank you so much…Every one of you ! This means so much !", Susanne added.

"PARTY TIME !", Odd yelled out suddenly, startling some of the others. The music began and the bubble machine had been turned on. Before Jim and Susanne knew it, they had gotten swept up in the moment of the dance and enjoyed themselves. It was refreshing to have a break from all the work they had been doing. Besides, it was good for the children as well.

They too, had been working non-stop this semester and it was grand that they could enjoy a little bit of rest and relaxation too. Sadly, when the party ended it would be back to the grindstone, yet for the moment, they reveled in the freedom and fun of the celebration.

Chapter 6—"She Will Be Mine"

XANA pined for Sissi from his grotto, waiting for the opportune time to snatch her away and deliver her to her rightful kingdom. He wondered how she would respond to being lavished with gifts and a rule beyond anything she had ever seen. XANA felt within his heart, she truly deserved the best of everything Lyoko _and _the actual world had to offer. They would rule both realms with an iron fist, together. But first, he had to materialize himself within the actual world and take her back to Lyoko with her.

XANA was powerful enough to transport himself to Earth, but the trip itself had been somewhat exhausting. It took him a bit of time to adapt to the alien environment but before long he found himself navigating the unfamiliar terrain and slinked into the girl's dormitories without being detected.

Sissi was sleeping soundly in her quarters comfortably, snuggling her little moose Niny close. She was completely unaware that XANA had crept into her room, watching and waiting to snatch her up into his arms and spirit her away to Lyoko. Quickly, he gathered her into his arms and teleported back to Lyoko with her.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until the silent alarm had been activated. XANA had already reappeared in Lyoko. Back at home, Jim had awakened in a cold sweat. He knew something was awfully wrong. He checked the surveillance tapes in the security room and found that Sissi's door had been opened from the outside by someone who looked like William, but he was wearing a black jumpsuit and had a logo on his chest. Jim already knew it was XANA, but in human form. Getting out of the swivel chair immediately, he dashed to retrieve Odd and take him into the abandoned factory.

"Why are you waking me up at this hour, Jim ?", Odd asked, yawning.

"Sissi's in trouble, which is why you and I are headed to Lyoko.", Jim said, seriously. Once Odd had heard this news, he had transitioned from his usual laid back manner into a mood of wrath.

Sissi slowly regained her consciousness. "My head hurts." She found herself lying on a bed wearing a beautiful black-and-purple dress, and realizes that outside of her virtualization she's vulnerable. She finds her transformation pen lying beside her.

"Ohhh, I can't move. Where am I?", she wondered, becoming worried.

She realized XANA is standing across the room. He was surprised that she awoke so soon considering the amount of Virtual Energy her body absorbed.

"Hello, darling.", XANA said, with a bit of lust in his tone.

"Who are you ?", Sissi questioned, aggravated that she couldn't move, but pleased with the gift she had been given by the stranger who supposedly brought her here.

"Why, I'm XANA. You, Sissi are my queen. I brought you here to be mine, forever. This dress is a token of my affections. It is just the beginning of the gifts I can lavish upon you my dear.", XANA said, lifting her from the bed into the air. She again tries to transform using her pen but nothing occurs.

XANA teleported in front of Sissi.

"You cannot use your wand while so close to the Deletion Power.", he says, sinisterly with a peering gaze. He placed his hand on her shoulder but Sissi knocked it away, wearing a look of defiance. He used his powers to stun her somewhat.

"Why must you be so coy, my love ?", XANA inquired, placing her hand on his cheek and pulling her close for a kiss. Not wanting any part of this and straining to scream she tries to pull away, but all in vain.

Odd and Jim, in gliders, approached the grotto.

Odd, seeing his love in peril, reached the fortress and running inside called out; "Elisabeth!", hoping somehow his voice would reach her and sooth her fears.

Sissi senses him but feels he is too far away to help her. She wished he were there and knows she is about to cry because she does not wants to be kissed by anyone other than Odd. XANA moves to kiss her, when a purple and maroon streak flashes by, breaking his hold on her. An electrified Laser Arrow embeds itself in the floor and Sissi tumbles back down to the bed.

Odd appeared above at a craggy window in the otherwise dark cave, with his fists clenched in fury.

"A being that uses the power of the supercomputer to take what he wants...I will not forgive you!", Odd yelled furiously, his blue eyes glowing with the flames of embitterment.

XANA, was unimpressed, and rolled his eyes, scoffing.

"You shouldn't be so arrogant, twerp.", XANA answers, flippantly as he tried to keep Odd from rescuing his girlfriend. While Odd was knocked away by one of XANA's lasers, Jim came in and pulled her away from XANA's hypnotic stare and knocked XANA out cold with a bo-staff jab directly to the chin. Odd and Sissi were united and they were transported home. XANA wouldn't wake up for quite some time but when he did, he would be pretty irate that he had lost yet another battle against the Warriors. And to think, this time there were only 2 in this fight. Yet, they had won, as usual. XANA would have his revenge soon enough, but he would have to regain his energy before enacting it.

Chapter 7—The Terra Warrior

It was a stunningly beautiful spring day when Susanne had decided to take all of her students out on a field trip to learn about nature and biology. Jim had gone along for the ride, and nothing seemed out of sorts. The trip was going along swimmingly and everything was normal. Susanne pointed out different types of flora and fauna while the students took notes. She also mentioned they would be watching _An Inconvenient Truth_ later on in the week, which spoke about the present dangers of global warming, which the class had already been discussing.

Jim suddenly felt that there was an ominous presence among them, and especially felt that Susanne was going to be threatened. He couldn't explain why but he had Jeramie take her to the Scanners and began the process of virtualization.

"The others aren't going to like this, Jim…Are you sure this is such a great idea ?", Jeramie asked. He didn't understand what Jim's reasoning was for having Susanne virtualized but he did as he was told. Susanne underwent a dazzling transformation sequence that was spellbinding. Her clothing disappeared and she was surrounded by green ribbons that transformed into a new outfit. She was soon joined by Jim on Lyoko, and they kept Jeramie informed to see if XANA was going to start being active soon.

While the rest of the students were off about studying on their own with their bus driver as supervision, a strange purple fog filled the area and students began attacking other students. Yumi, who found herself surrounded by XANA-possessed students.

"Jeramie, we have a bit of a problem here…", Yumi said, blocking a hit from one of her peers.

"What is it, Yumi ?", Jeramie responded from the controller room.

"XANA isn't attacking on Lyoko. He's attacking _here_. We need Susanne and Jim back here, ASAP. There are our only hope.", Yumi said, accepting now that Susanne was a Lyoko Warrior. At least now, they had the power of numbers on their side.

The students really wouldn't notice if Susanne and Jim were in their virtualized forms while back on Earth since they were possessed, but the process had to be stopped.

"There's a code I think you can use that hasn't been used before. Aelita's been giving me tidbits about Lyoko because she feels she can trust me. I may be becoming a mom, but I can still fight !", Susanne said, with gusto in her tone.

Susanne suggested that Code: Prometheus would be used. Prometheus was the mythical figure, a God in fact, who brought fire to humankind and was punished by the Gods for doing so. Fire, in its power, would render zombies useless…light was their main weakness. All of it made incredible sense. Thus he gave it a try.

Right before Yumi could be sidelined by Ulrich's kick, he fell to the ground as well as the others. Jeramie decided this time not to initiate a return to the past, since he knew it was making XANA grow stronger. So, this time, he simply shut the computer down and called it a night. Jim and Susanne however, were busy gathering all the students together back into the bus and the bus driver, strangely awoke from his slumber. He didn't ask questions but wondered why it was so dark, then decided it was best to drive back to Kadic before Jean-Pierre became worried.

During the next day, it was time for class president elections. Herve and Odd were in the running to become the next class president. Herve's funding was provided by Nicholas and by his admirer Naomi. Sissi, however, cheered Odd on, hoping that he would be the one to win this time around. After all, he did have a rather cute mascot; Kiwi. The speeches were amazingly-written, but Odd's speech got the most thunderous applause out of the two. Even Herve was applauding him.

Votes were tallied and the results were counted. Jean-Pierre was a little surprised at whom the students had chosen for their next representative. Yet, he kept telling himself, "children are the future", and indeed he was right. He just had to remember that most of these children were fine, upstanding individuals. Yet, he had _no clue_ that his own daughter was a Lyoko Warrior. It was perhaps better that her secret remain hidden for fear he would not allow her to fight for a good cause.

The final result was read by the principal himself.

"I am pleased to announce that Odd DellaRobia is your new class president. Let's all give him a round of applause for a job well done.", Jean-Pierre said, clapping for the young man himself. Odd sportingly shook Herve's hand.

"You would've been a tremendous president, Herve. I don't know why I was chosen over someone so gifted like yourself.", Odd confessed in a whisper.

"No, you deserve it, Odd. I'm certain you'll be a fine class president. Remember, believe in yourself. We believe in you too.", Herve said, patting his friend on the shoulder. Odd grinned from ear to ear, knowing this year would be an interesting one indeed and he would make it the best year to date.

Chapter 8—Triple Trouble

Only recently had Jeramie began to understand the power of "translation". Apparently some of the Warriors could use their transformation pens to metamorphose on Earth and have the abilities they possessed on Lyoko. The only two who were complaining about not having such abilities were Odd and Sissi.

Like the good friend he was, Jeremie decided to design them a teleportation power. Initially, it worked, but copies of Odd and Sissi were left in the areas they initially teleported from. No one seemed to think any differently of the clones, since they acted exactly like the originals. Yet, others who were more astute would start wondering why it seemed like Sissi and Odd could be in so many places doing so many things simultaneously.

Jeramie decided to try the teleportation a couple more times. After trying it twice, Jeremie de-virtualized the couple to find out what went wrong, accidentally creating two more separate Odds and Sissis. When he saw them emerge from the scanners, his mouth nearly dropped.

"Good grief ! What could've gone wrong !", he thought to himself, flabbergasted at what had occurred.

"This place feels like a sauna…", one of the replicas of Sissi said, wiping her forehead with the back of her arm. The other copy of Sissi had gotten a case of the giggles and couldn't stop laughing. She looked at the others copy of herself and said,

"That's a good one, girly !"

"It's like looking at 3 sets of identical triplets !", Jim said. Susanne was so overwhelmed by seeing the triplicates emerge that she fainted, and Jim had to douse her with water to

This was a bit of a problem and began causing confusion with Jeramie and his friends, but no one else seemed to be taken off guard by it. Even the lunch lady, Rosa, found it strange that she was doling out triple portions of food for Odd and Sissi. Then she remembered they must be growing, so she shrugged and thought nothing of it. It was natural for teenagers to develop an appetite as they matured anyhow.

While enjoying a seemingly quiet lunch, the Warriors' communicators began to flash. They knew what that meant. XANA was roaming about on Lyoko, looking for sectors to overtake and energy to siphon. Yet, he couldn't live off of electric energy alone. He needed the pure energy of human beings to survive and remain young. To do this, he concocted a new spell. Calling forth the awesome powers of the almighty Gorgon, Medusa, he conjured up a green mist that was capable of petrifying any living creature, freezing their bodies in place via suspended animation. When this plan was set into motion, he could finally siphon the sweet dream energy from the pathetic humans once and for all.

XANA had moved into Carthage to begin searching for power-points throughout the realm. But it wasn't enough to sustain him for this period of time. It was infrequently that he made trips to Earth to garner more pure Honey Energy to survive, for without it he felt himself withering away, the possibility of death and oblivion made his digital blood chill. Yet, he couldn't fixate too terribly much on that feeling. He had more important pursuits to be concerned with.

XANA had transported himself to Earth to use a newfound power he had just perfected while on Lyoko. Once he saw some students wandering about innocently, he opened his mouth and a green mist rolled out. The mist petrified the students, leaving them vulnerable to having their energy sapped. That is until the Sissis and Odds stopped him from siphoning a young girl completely.

"What ?! Three of each one ?", XANA thought to himself, considerably confused. Before he knew it he was being fought by all of them at once and tried using his mist on them. They were far too quick for them to catch. The other Warriors stood back and watched the triplets fight before XANA was overwhelmed and disappeared. Apparently the battle had been too confusing for them. The spell soon wore off as did the Warriors transformations on Earth.

The students didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary, but the Warriors had already run to the abandoned factory so Jeramie could rectify the problem with the triple Sissis and Odds. While entering a different algorithm, he had corrected the initial problem and the triplicates were no longer an issue.

"Oh thank heaven…that was becoming far too confusing.", Jim admitted, patting the young blonde genius on the back. Since everyone was so tired from being involved in such a surreal day, it was easy for them to settle down into bed and sleep. Though the battle with XANA was far from over, at least they knew triplication would no longer be an issue.

Chapter 9—Reopening the Hopper Diaries

Jeramie stared at the old bound book full of manuscripts, descriptions journals and drawings. A scrawled pen read on the book's leaflet: "To my daughter, Aelita. The key lies with you. Your heart will lead you to it". The words were cryptic and mystical, something Jeramie had trouble deciphering. He had asked Aelita about what those words meant but even she didn't have a clue about what her father could've meant. But he was still in atomic form in Lyoko. Surely he could be reassembled molecularly. Obviously, she was the only one that could bring balance to Lyoko, but she didn't know how, exactly.

That night, Aelita had the most unusual dream. She saw a metallic pink key glowing in her hands and a heavenly song unlike anything she had ever heard, except it was coming from her heart. It was a melody she thought she knew. Perhaps her mother Alicia had sung it to her when she was just an infant, or she could've heard it while still en utero. It was very possible since she could remember the sensation it caused her to feel. She felt as if she was floating, warm and comfortable, impervious to harm or ill will from the outside world. This song was powerful. From that and the key turning in Carthage in the vault from its core, it began to represent what it once had before XANA was infected with pride and the lust for domination.

The vision itself was so vivid she could almost sense the jewel on her forehead opening, as if she was being awakened to a new ability she never knew she had. Unable to continue sleeping, she jolted out of her bed as if she had feet like the legendary God Hermes and gently roused Jeramie from sleep.

"Aelita, do you realize what time it is ? It's midnight…You should be asleep.", Jeramie said, turning around to try to go to sleep again. She turned him around gently and looked him directly in the eyes.

"I had the most vivid vision. I think I know what those words my father wrote in the diaries mean.", Aelita said. Jeramie's sky blue eyes became wide, almost bewildered.

"Let's go, then. We don't have any time to lose.", Jeramie said, jumping out of bed and taking her to the abandoned factory. They wondered if perhaps it was foolish for her to be going to Lyoko herself, but to be honest, it was an endeavor that she would have to partake in on her own.

As quietly as the two of them could, they ran to the factory and initiated virtualization. Though there were plenty of monsters that made Aelita's journey into the core of Carthage challenging, Jeramie knew that Aelita was more familiar with Lyoko's layout than anyone else.

Aelita had been dodging laser fire and repelling away monsters with her force-field. At last, she had finally reached the core and sang the song she had heard in her dream. A rose-pink, glimmering aura had surrounded her and a key manifested in her hands. Levitating, she directed it towards the keyhole, turned it and everything began to shift.

"Jeramie, transfer me back now before it's too late.", Aelita said, in a calm, steady tone.

"I can't locate you at the present time. Where are you ?", Jeramie said, looking for a blip on the computer screen when there was no trace of her as of yet. She was beyond Carthage in the stream of information and transported herself back to the Forest Sector of Lyoko, which she considered her "home".

"Nevermind, I see you now. How can I transfer you without you entering a cleared tower ?", Jeramie asked.

"Trust me…Just enter this code: Alicia.", Aelita said.

"Alicia…", Jeramie thought to himself. Then it dawned on him. That was the name of Aelita's mother. Quickly, he entered the code and Aelita was returned. An unearthly howl could be heard from the supercomputer and the building began to shake. Without another word said, Aelita took Jeramie's hand and the factory crumbled around them. They escaped with a few bruises from the falling debris, but they were safe.

"How are we going to get back to Lyoko ?", Jeramie asked.

"I have an ability called 'translation' that allows us to teleport from one locale to another. We've used it before but we haven't perfected it. With some mental exercise and practice we can travel freely and as easily as walking.", Aelita said.

"You could teach us to use it, couldn't you ?", Jeramie questioned. He was curious as to what had happened, if XANA had been defeated, and if she was going to ever see her father again. He was still in Lyoko and she would retrieve him in time, but now at least he had been returned to his original form. She saw his reflection before she left, which made it difficult to leave him, but she vowed to him telepathically she would return for him someday. Franz knew he could count on his daughter.

Though XANA had been defeated by the unlocking of the core of Carthage and destroyed as soon as everything had been purified by Aelita's heart-song, an image, perhaps XANA's spirit had been seen of XANA with a peaceful smile upon his face as if to thank Aelita for releasing him from his curse. Perhaps that is what it was. It wouldn't surprise Aelita if it had been XANA's spirit that came to say thank you and farewell before crossing over into the next plane.

Again, while sleeping in the night, she received another vision. Her subjects had returned, freed from their bondage from XANA. They had been so oppressed that they had been reduced to nothing more but atomic form that couldn't even be seen or sensed. No longer under the iron fist of XANA's reign, they were free to be solid as well as have wills of their own. She was also greeted by Franz, who didn't look a day over 40.

"I knew you would come again, dear. You solved the riddle.", Franz said, hugging her and kissing her forehead.

"And I'll be able to see you again soon, right daddy ?", she asked.

"Yes, of course, as soon as you have perfected 'Translation'.", Franz said. The rest of the dream flew by in a flash, but Aelita was soothed by it. Her fears of losing her father to the myriads of data-streams in the wired were assuaged. She knew that in time she would see her father as well as her subjects once again, in time.

Chapter 10—Special Delivery to the Morales Family

Susanne was approaching her scheduled date for giving birth and she was eager and a bit nervous with the sudden onset of contractions. It had been an auspicious time for her body to decide to want to deliver her child.

Fortunately, Jim and Susanne didn't have to teach today considering it was a weekend. When she started feeling some pain from contractions, Jim swept her up in his arms and took her to the car.

"You know, honey…I could've walked to the car.", she said, chuckling.

"You need your strength, honey.", Jim said, patting her leg affectionately. He opened the garage door and backed the Saturn out and into the street.

Quickly he took her to the hospital and her contractions became stronger and more frequent. She was taken to the delivery room in a wheelchair and helped onto a bed by some doctors and nurses. She was quickly changed into a patient's robe and started panting heavily.

"I think the baby's ready to come now.", she said, gritting her teeth slightly with another onset of a contraction. The doctors readied her and instructed her all the way as little Emily made her way into the world with a few mighty pushes from her mother.

"It's a gorgeous little baby girl.", the nurse said, after having cleaned her off. Emily was crying a bit, but as soon as Jim took her in his arms and sang she calmed down considerably.

"She is perfect, honey…Everything I imagined she would be.", Jim said, his eyes misting with tears of joy. Susanne, who hadn't been fazed by the birth, had sat up to see her daughter, sleeping soundly as if nothing had happened. She bent forward slightly to kiss her forehead and smiled.

"I love you, dearest one. You're more beautiful than a flower.", she said, sweetly.

"A flower ? Lili. That will be her nickname.", Jim agreed, smiling. After the new parents thanked the nurses and doctors and had the birth certificate filled as well as photos taken of their newborn, they left the hospital and returned home.

Kadic was already abuzz since they had heard about Emily Marie Morales' birth. She had only just recently been brought home and already she had become popular with everyone there. She had plenty of people she could count on, especially Jim's closest friends: the Lyoko Warriors. She too would come to know of Lyoko someday, and see it for herself. At the time, she was just a little infant, learning about everything that the world had to offer as well as be inspired by the mysteries in it, around it and of it.

Chapter 11—Special Engagement

After Emily's birth and the mysterious destruction of the abandoned factory, things began to settle, for the moment. XANA had been freed of his curse, the Lyokians were safe, and all seemed peaceful. Recently, Franz had been returned by Aelita only recently. Of course, the others had myriads of questions for Aelita and she answered them all in turn.

"What are they like, your people ?", William asked.

"They all have special abilities like we do when we teleport there. They had been a peaceful people that developed from the data of interconnecting thoughts on the Wired. I know, I know. It's all very 'supernatural', but it's true. My father Franz had originally invented the scanners and had this factory built here when it was thought the Internet was only military technology. Seems to be that my dad knew quite a bit about it since he was studying a new field, 'artificial intelligence'.", Aelita said, hoping what she said made some semblance of sense.

"Ow…Big words make my brain hurt ! Could you at least try explaining this in Layman's terms, Princess ?", Odd complained, rubbing his temples. It was difficult to explain something of this magnitude in 'easy' terms, because it just didn't exist.

"I really can't Odd. But I shot some photos while I was visiting when I returned father back to Earth. He's still having to adapt, but I'm glad he's done so rapidly.", Aelita said, her father hugging her again from the side as she and her friends enjoyed a picnic. She fished for a small cyndrillical camera that was in her pocket and pulled it out. By pressing a button, all these images flashed by, and they were followed by noise as well as music none of them heard before.

"Woah, that's sweet !", Nicholas said, impressed with the music.

"Glad you approve. A lot of the music we have is akin to Asian music and it is traditional. But we also have our celebratory music, which I heard a lot of when I was greeted by my court. Believe me, I was so stunned I was almost at a loss for words. But I am glad to be their Princess. I know this means I will have to return home from time to time to keep everything running smoothly and making sure everyone's needs are provided for. But that doesn't mean I won't return.", Aelita promised.

"Oh thank Heaven. If you did that, we'd really miss you.", Naomi admitted. They were all bedazzled with the elfin Lyokians and hoped they could come to see them soon. Aelita promised them she would take them, since she had been teaching them 'Translation'. They were all catching on to the ability rather well, but teleportation required focus as well as vivid visual images of where one wanted to go. It was so simple any child could do it. Luckily these 'children' hadn't lost their imaginations, so Translation would come easy to them soon.

That was all the information Aelita could share with her friends for today, since she heard the school bell ringing in the background. There was much more to be discussed, but it would have to wait until later.

Jim and Susanne had already selected Deborah, one of the nurses on the staff, to take care of little Emily, while they were gone to the upcoming suare the faculty was having. They had been thinking of this party all day long and hoping they could find everything that they needed. Even Franz Hopper would be there to celebrate with them, and he had been invited because he was a friend of Susanne's. Sue and Jim didn't know they would be receiving awards for their teaching, but they would be given the surprise of their lives.

Mr. and Mrs. Hertz were among many in the audience. Claire was Susanne's mother, and she was a bioengineer. Her father was Francis Hertz and he was a creator and administrator of pharmaceuticals. Thanks to their passion and love for biology, science and all things empirical, she had gotten into this field. She resembled her mother more than her father, but she inherited her father's nose as well as innate dancing ability and impressive voice. Her mother had the gift of music, but in violin playing. Soon though, the party was over for the evening and everyone returned home.

By the time the celebration had ended and Susanne and Jim drove home with their rewards. They were still a bit overwhelmed they had been chosen for such a prestigious honor as they had been, but as Claire and Francis had said, they were both very deserving and neither of them could think of any others that had worked so hard as they had to motivate the students to love learning and keep their minds open to new ways of thought. Not wanting to be pretentious, they kept the awards in their bedroom so only they could see them and others wouldn't be intimidated.

In the family room, Deborah was fast asleep with Emily. Jim quietly took his little daughter in his arms and moved her to her crib while Susanne positioned Deborah in a more comfortable posture on the couch so she could sleep. Neither one of them minded a little extra company. Deborah had obviously done such a good job that she had forgotten about the time and fallen asleep with Emily. They knew they could trust her, since she was a nurse after all.

The next day, Deborah went back to the infirmary to begin the workday before Sue and Jim awoke. The couple awoke to greet a new day, as well as their newborn daughter with smiles and laughter, wondering what the day held for them.

In the weeks that followed, Sue and Jim had been included in the trip that the Warriors had been talking about all week in whispers. Sue and Jim had been practicing this new ability in their spare time and were delighted they would be among the few to be seeing Lyoko as it was meant to be seen: liberated and full of life.

After school when evening had come, the Warriors gathered to use translation ability and teleport themselves to Lyoko. With hands linked it worked far better, since their minds were working as a whole rather than separately and focused on the same goal. As soon as they had opened their eyes, Aelita introduced them. The Lyokoians were very honored to meet the Warriors face to face, and thanked them for their valiant efforts. They were presented with a huge celebration, food, dessert, and small pins of honor for their accomplishments. None of them could read Lyokian, but Aelita had told them the pins read "Brave" in her language. It was simple, but quite profound. They had shown the utmost valor and the Lyokoians were grateful that they had. No longer did they live under the cruel thumb of "The Hellish Tyrant". Even Carthage had been used to further the development of the already growing Lyokian race. Heavens only knew how far it could extend, but it was likely their people would be more numerous than stars in the skies above.

Though the meeting had lasted for several hours, the Warriors had to return to school and say their farewells for the time being.

"There will always be a welcome place for you here in our many villages. You can stay wherever you want and we will always offer you our hospitality.", one villager by the name of Talmud had told them. They thought it was rather gracious of him to offer such accommodations.

"We'll keep that in mind. Thank you.", Jeramie said, bowing politely. It wasn't known when the Warriors would return, but just in case, they allowed the Lyokoians a communicator so they could reach them in the rare circumstance of something happening that they couldn't control and they needed help.

The Warriors said their final goodbyes after leaving Elder Claire with the communicator. Elder Claire was the wisest and oldest among all of the Lyokians, but she didn't look like she was a day over 40. It was the magic of the atmosphere and the genealogy that the Lyokians had. They never got wrinkles, and they were always at the peak of youth. Disease didn't even exist. Hopefully these secrets could be passed to the Warriors to help those on Earth, but retrieving those secrets would come at another time. At this point now, they had to return home and go about their daily lives, knowing that they held the Universe within their palms. It was a huge responsibility and far beyond what any of them had ever imagined. Yet, it was a blessing to be a part of something so supernatural. It was their privilege to carry forth in this duty.

Epilogue

In time, Emily too was introduced to the Lyokians and was fascinated by its beauty. She and the others would make their return trips as often as they could to see how the Lyokian society was progressing. Some lived in Carthage and others lived in a sector unexplored from before called Stratus. Stratus was quite interesting in the fact that all of the locations were floating islands and the Mystics lived among them.

What the future held for any of the Warriors, no one really knew. Yet, one thing was absolutely certain. Their existence as Warriors would be ongoing no matter what occurred presently. They lived their lives as "normal" young adults, accept their abilities were far beyond anything documented or seen before. Jim and Susanne kept these skills quiet. No one else would ever know, and even if they did, they probably wouldn't believe it.

The next year, the Warriors would be going away to college and matters looked bright for all of them. Albeit that they were moving to Gryphon University and would be in different classes, they could still come together and reunite when they weren't busy. Even in their days off, they would take their respite in Lyoko and enjoy scenery there that couldn't be found anywhere else on the planet. Life was good for all of them, and no matter what circumstances came in the future, they would always be together, and Lyoko would always be their sanctuary as well as their secret oasis; their home away from sweet Terra Firma.

The End

(1) Jumping the broom comes from African custom to sweep away bad spirits, or the wife's willingness to clean the courtyard she had joined once she was married. It also comes from the time (I believe it was pre-revolutionary) that couples had to have themselves registered before the marriage. They were separated from singles by jumping over a broom and that signified that this couple was no longer available to anyone else and they were exclusive, as well as legally wed.


End file.
